Aarya is a singer-songwriter based in Mumbai who draws his influence across various genres of music. He was also part of the Bacardi House Party Sessions in its first-ever edition in India. His song ‘No Game’ charted in the United Kingdom on the Top 200 UK Singer-Songwriter iTunes Charts. A Top 20 finalist on the music reality TV show – The Stage 2, he has played at various music festivals in the country. The artist recently also supported When Chai Met Toast and Parekh & Singh on their respective tours. In a conversation with us, Aarya talks to us about his latest release ‘The One’ and his journey so far.
1.Tell us a bit about your project. How did you begin your journey as a singer-songwriter?
‘The One’ is a track that I’d written a few years ago. This song was written at a time where I felt like I wasn’t being able to connect with any woman I met. It was more a song written out of frustration and writing songs in general is a way for me to speak what’s in my mind without any filter. I worked on this track along with Rahul Popawala who helped produce it and Sachin Nair who mixed and mastered this one. I keep writing music and storing it on my phone, and I’ve been doing so for the last 10 years now. I started writing at the age of 16 (I’m 26 now) and had been singing for a few years prior to that as well. Around the age of 15-16 is when I knew I wanted to make music and perform for the rest of my life. Since then, I started taking my music very seriously, from playing shows and open mics, to writing songs, to getting into the studio and recording my tracks, to collaborating with other musicians. I always knew I wanted to be a performing artist with my music. My main motivation in the studio is to hear how the song I’m creating would sound live. That feeling is the most exciting! 2017 is when I dropped my first EP – One Year, One House and the following year I dropped my sophomore EP – Roots, and released several singles ever since then including a track that was part of the first ever edition of the Bacardi House Party Sessions. I’ve always loved performing on stage and I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to play on stages such as at the NH7 Weekender in 2017, the O2 Academy in London, Control ALT Delete, Fiddlers Elbow in London, and many more.
2.Which bands/artists were your first love and who is your biggest influence?
I think my earliest influence in music has to be The Beatles. I love everything about them and how beautifully and simply they convey a thought. The fact that even now after so many years, their songs still remain evergreen and relevant is something that I look upto and aspire to achieve with my music. I never restricted what I heard because I always had this fascination of understanding different styles of music. Guns N’ Roses were another big influence even though my style of music is rather different. Coldplay is another huge influence and you could say I’m a ‘fan boy’. John Mayer, Queen, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran are some of my other major influences too.
3.Tell us a bit about your latest release ‘The One.’
‘The One’ is a song that has been living on my phone for a while and finally came to life after I played it live and received a great response. I have never explored a retro mood with my music and this track is my step in that direction but still sticking to my sound. The track talks about meeting people but still not finding the right ‘one’. I wrote this from personal experience. Writing this track was me venting out because at the time of writing it, I felt like maybe it was just bad luck and just held on to hope that there is always someone for every single person. I worked with Rahul Popawala on this track (who also helped me produce my EPs and many singles) and mixed and mastered this track at Island City Studios with the help of Sachin Nair. This song brings out the ballad-like sound that signifies my songwriting.
4.What is your music-making and recording process like?
I always write songs with my guitar, and I lay down the foundation of the track completely. From the melody to the lyrics to very basic top-line arrangement ideas, it is all fixed by me during the writing stage itself. I usually start writing when I know there is something that I want to say and express. There’s not a single track that I’ve released that isn’t based on a personal experience or about someone I know who’s told me about their stories. I’ve always believed that songwriting has to be honest, otherwise it doesn’t stick. I want my songs to be special to someone and make them feel comfortable. After I write the track start to finish and I map out how I want the arrangement to sound like, I then get in the studio and work out what is in my head, and record the track accordingly.
5.Why do you make music? What drives you as a musician and what are your songs about?
Simply put, I make music because I love it and I have never enjoyed anything more than that. My job as a musician is to make people happy and get in touch with their feelings, what more could I ask for? The feeling after writing and finishing a song or the feeling I get after coming off stage, is indescribable. I wouldn’t trade that feeling for anything in the world. All my songs are about personal experiences and all of them are about something I’ve been through or something I’ve seen happen in front of me that’s created an impact in my life. And because I love performing live, my motivation in the studio while creating a track is to play it live on stage. The thought of taking what I’m feeling and singing and performing it in front of a crowd really excites me.
6.Tell us about your experience being at the first-ever edition of the Bacardi House Party Sessions!
Being part of the first Bacardi House Party Sessions in India was amazing. I’d sent in my first EP (One Year, One House) as my audition and didn’t expect to be selected as one of the four winners. ’No Game’ was the track that I released as part of the sessions. I’d always heard songs about the whole ‘hook-up’ culture, booze, partying etc etc , so I decided to write a song about the complete opposite for the sessions. I was in university at the time of all this happening and I realised that no one really writes about the shy people in clubs. ‘No Game’ is a song about having no game and being the less confident one in a club. This was my version of a party banger. The music video was created with AIB, and it was also trending in India. Later on, the song charted in the United Kingdom as part of the iTunes Top 200 Singer-Songwriter charts. Being one of the winners of the BHP sessions also gave me the opportunity to perform at NH7 Weekender in 2017, and that felt surreal for me. To be able to play on the same stage as some of the people I’ve heard growing up who are part of the music scene in the country was surreal.
7.How was it being among the top 20 finalists at The Stage 2?
‘The Stage’ happened at a very important phase in my life. I had just graduated from school (the 12th Grade) and my family moved to a different country almost immediately. I decided to stay put in Mumbai and work in music, so I took a gap year and didn’t go to college. I was an 18-year-old, living on his own in Mumbai, pursuing music and that whole year was perhaps one of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had. ‘The Stage’ happened almost literally at the start of this gap year and was an eye-opener for me. I was the youngest contestant on the show and there was so much to learn from my friends on the show. Every single one of them inspired me and taught me something whether about music or just about life as a musician general. The judges (Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, Monica Dogra, and Devraj Sanyal) were always helpful, from giving me advice on the show to taking me to the side, sitting me down and helping me out with my songs. My world till the show took place was just centered around colleges and schools and then to suddenly be put on national television drove me to be the best I can be. It was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime experience and perhaps the best introduction to the music industry for a musician.
8.Which Indian bands or artists do you admire and why?
There are so many brilliant musicians in the country and it would be criminal for me to just name a few that I admire. But amongst the ones that I’ve been listening to and loving what they do for a while now, Tsumyoki is someone I really like. I think his production and songwriting is right up there and is absolutely amazing. Tejas is another artist I’ve been following since he began his journey. His style of writing is something I really admire and I’ve been lucky enough to talk to him about my music and share a stage with him too such as at The Indian Music Diaries Awards in 2023. When Chai Met Toast is a band that I think is one of the coolest and most fun bands in the country. The way they are able to melt folk pop with different languages is amazing. I was lucky enough to be their supporting act on their LYTS Tour in 2023. Prateek Kuhad is another singer-songwriter I love and I love the fact that he’s been able to show the world what singer-songwriters from the Indian music scene have to offer. Mali, Karan Kanchan, Lifafa, Kamakshi Khanna, Anoushka Maskey, sudan are some of the other acts that I’ve been listening to on loop and I truly love what they do.
9.What’s your take on the Indian independent music scene?
I think the Indian independent music scene is a force to be reckoned with. It’s only going to keep growing. The beautiful thing about music coming from musicians in India is that there is no language barrier, whether it is music in Hindi, English, regional languages or sometimes even languages from outside the country, we have so many brilliant artists who are so so good at what they do. Post the lockdown the boom in the number of musicians releasing music and putting their art out there for the rest of the world to hear was so beautiful to see. It’s only a matter of time till the Indian indie scene gets centre stage on an international level.
